A title win eluded him as a player. Gamecock great is now a state champion as a coach
Melvin Watson had no intentions of becoming a basketball coach once his playing days were over.
After an impromptu meeting, however, the former Gamecocks standout changed his tune. Now, a decade later, Watson is a South Carolina high school state championship coach.
Watson’s South Pointe squad rallied in the second half Saturday to defeat Hilton Head Head Island 52-50 to win the Class 4A championship at USC Aiken Convocation Center. The Stallions trailed by as many as 11 points in the second half.
It was the Stallions’ first championship in boys basketball. The high school, located in Rock Hill, has been a football powerhouse with seven state championships in that sport since it opened in 2005.
“We are known as a football school. We have seven and the girls have been here back-to-back years (2019-20),” Watson said after the game. “You walk in the gym and you see all these accolades, and that is something that we always wanted to do. We felt like we had good teams that had a shot to win it. To have these kids to actually win it was huge.
“One of my goals was to win a state championship at South Pointe. Now that it has happened, I feel complete but not satisfied.”
After the final buzzer sounded Saturday, Watson dropped to his knees to soak in the moment as he earned an elusive state title. He went to two state championships as a player at Burke High but lost both games in overtime.
Watson also mentioned how his time at USC and playing professionally helped shape him.
Watson was a four-year starter for the Gamecocks from 1994-98 and was a three-time all-SEC selection. He finished his career as South Carolina’s all-time leader in games started (116) and career assists (543).
Watson was enshrined in the school’s athletics hall of fame in 2011. After USC, Watson played eight seasons overseas. He came back to the state and wanted to start training players in basketball.
Watson and his coach at USC, Eddie Fogler, were looking at various gyms for that training. The two walked in to South Pointe one day and started talking with Stallions coach Dwayne Hartsoe.
Hartsoe had an opening for an assistant coach on his staff and thought Watson would be a good addition.
“I was looking for an assistant coach and Melvin was moving to the area. We were also able to get Melvin a position in the school, which was a huge benefit,” Hartsoe said.
Hartsoe, who is now boys basketball coach and athletic director at Fort Mill, said he wanted to be at Saturday’s game but wasn’t able to attend because of limited capacity due to COVID-19 protocols. He watched the Stallions’ victory online.
Watson was one of two former assistant coaches for Hartsoe to win championships last week. Latroy Brace, who played and coached with Hartsoe at Lancaster, led Marlboro County to the Class 3A title, the school’s first since 2001.
“Melvin has done a fantastic job at South Pointe,” Hartsoe said. “He is very good at creating relationships with kids, and his basketball experience and knowledge of the game is at very high level. We keep it touch and talk quite a bit throughout the year and do play each other on occasions.
“I am very proud of Melvin in his growth as a coach and blessed to call him a friend.”
Watson spent four seasons as an assistant coach under Hartsoe before taking over as head coach in 2011. He has won six region titles and more than 100 games so far with the Stallions.
Before this season, Watson and the Stallions hadn’t made it past the third round in the playoffs.
“Coach Watson preached to us all season with the pandemic going on that we had a shot this year. And we couldn’t let that shot slip,” said South Pointe senior and USC football signee O’Mega Blake. “And we took it all the way.”
Blake and other Stallion players all expressed what an impact Watson has had on them and the program.
Watson said his own role continues to be a learning experience — going from a player to coach — but a move he is glad he decided to make.
“Preparation and executing little things. When you are a player you don’t recognize little things and every possession counts,” Watson said. “As a player, you are playing off natural ability. To switch it over to coaching, you have so much to learn. You have to meet the kids where they are at. That has been the biggest difference for me.”
This story was originally published March 11, 2021 at 7:56 AM.
